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DESIGN TRAVELS | Why you should visit Malmö in Sweden

You: What would you do if you receive a last minute invitation for a weekend in Sweden?

Me: I book my flight at the speed of light and join the crew!

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This is what happened to me two weeks ago: I have never been to Malmö and I could not wait to tell you more about the wonderful weekend I spent. As I always do when I visit a new destination, I’m doing here a recap of reasons why you should visit Malmö, maybe in one of the next weekends.

1. It’s supereasy to travel to Malmö from any European (and not) city

Before leaving, I did not know that Malmö was so well connected. In fact, the historic center is only twenty minutes by train from the airport of Copenhagen (which btw is very nice). Needless to say, transports here are super efficient, so your trip will be absolutely relaxing and in a few minutes you will have travelled in two Scandinavian countries.

Maybe you didn’t know: the bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark (Øresund bridge) is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Europe used for both road and rail traffic. It was only inaugurated in 2000. Before this, here they only travelled by ferry!

To confirm this, I’m telling you that in our group there were design bloggers from all over Europe! Igor aka Happy Interior Blog traveled from Munich, Agata aka Passion Shake from Milan, Mette aka Monsters Circus from Denmark, Stefan aka Trend Stefan from the Swedish capital Stockholm. And then, there was our special guide Niki of My Scandinavian Home, Londoner living in Malmö for a while now. In my place, there had to be Holly of decor8from Germany who had to cancel the trip.

2. Visit Malmö for its design shops

If you love Scandinavian design as much as I do (and probably it’s like that, if you follow this blog !), Malmö is the city for you. In fact there is an amazing number of cute design shops, all within a walking distance. You could spend the whole weekend just by shopping.

A little corner of paradise for plants and flowers lovers. If you travel from far away, as I did, you can always buy some beautiful composition of dried flowers or a wreath, like the ones we did during a super fun workshop!

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AB Smaland

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Olsson & Gerthel

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Grandpa

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Florista

3. To enjoy a traditional fika

Translating the Swedish term fika simply as a coffee break is not correct. Fika is a social institution in Sweden, it is their favorite moment of the day, when to enjoy a hot drink (almost always coffee or cappuccino) together with a local dessert, slowing down in a warm place and gathering with people. It is very different from our Italian coffee break, that is usually just about a few minutes in front of a coffee machine in the office or standing for an espresso at a bar counter: fika means relaxing and enjoying time together and it is one of the pillars of the Swedish tradition .

Do not miss in Malmö these two cafés with a typically Swedish atmosphere:

4. To sleep in a design hotel

It’s worth spending the night in a design hotel, just to feel like you’re in one of those settings of the Scandinavian design magazines we love so much!

We stayed at the design hotel Duxiana : this boutique hotel is located a few steps from the railway station, in the historic center, so in a perfect location. Rooms are perfectly styled, one different from the other, of contemporary and Scandinavian taste, plus with DUX beds that are truly comfortable ones.

5. To enjoy a tasty and healty meal

Scandinavian food is really good, and you know you should trust an Italian when he says food is good! This is because here everyone gives a lot of attention to the quality and freshness of the ingredients, as a consequence of a very honest approach both towards the environment and towards the customer.

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Bastard

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Raw Food House

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Malmö Saluhall

Last dinner at Mineral

6. Visit Malmö because it is a super green city

Malmö has lots of parks, green areas, spaces where to spend time outdoors. I have to tell you that the weather was also less cold than I expected so it was really nice to walk outside even if it was autumn. It is the 3rd Swedish city, but small enough to be visited on foot or by bike. Being ‘green‘ is part of everyday lifestyle here.

Tip: you can also book a small boat and go around the canal to enjoy the city from a different point of view, as we did thanks to Book a Boat !

7. To learn more about Scandinavian design

Design is so deeply rooted in Swedish culture that, by being here, you will easily understand why Scandinavian design became so popular all over the world. Here people really grow up with the culture of good design and with a minimalist taste that is part of their tradition. To really get to know about Swedish design culture, it is not enough to read magazines or look at the websites and by travelling here you will understand what I mean.

To enjoy a 100% design experience I recommend you to include in your visit:

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Formagruppen

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Konsthall Malmö

Ph Agata Dimmich

8. Just to wander around!

In Sweden everything is so beautiful and without any effort nor frills.Malmö is the perfect example of this mood and it is worthwhile to travel here just to wander around, walking in the alleys, snooping into the houses and in the shop windows.

I’m sure you’ll stop to take pictures in every corner of this cute city!

Elisabetta is the mastermind behind ITALIANBARK.
She studied Architecture at the University of Venice and Interior Design at London Saint Martin’s and is currently working as a creative consultant + web content creator through her interior and design studio.